Complaints From Dog Lovers Forced Brand to Pull the Plug

Published on Jan 27, 2015

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GoDaddy has been forced to pull its Super Bowl commercial after it caused uproar among dog lovers. The spot poked fun at other puppies in Super Bowl commercials -- notably from Budweiser, which today unveiled its own -- but the stunt backfired, and the brand is now having to run another ad.

At the beginning of the spot, by Barton F. Graf 9000, it appears the web-hosting company, which has previously been known for its risque Super Bowl ads, has gone soft. An adorable puppy, Buddy (geddit?) goes missing and tries to find his way home over train tracks, across highways and through rain. But when he gets home his owners are relieved, because they just sold him on a website they built with GoDaddy.

Complaints flooded in after GoDaddy previewed the ad, with some viewers even starting a petition on Change.org -- and the brand decided to pull the ad.

"The responses were emotional and direct. Many people urged us not to run the ad," CEO Blake Irving wrote in a blog post.